Midfielders priced between £4.5m and £6.0m have been handed a major boost in the 2025/26 Fantasy Premier League season.
In addition to clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles (CBIRT), their ball recoveries will now also count towards their total defensive contributions.
This means they’ll need 12 defensive contributions to earn two FPL points – compared to just 10 for defenders – making many defensive midfielders, who were often overlooked in the past, far more viable options.
We recently analysed the top five £4.5m budget defenders in a separate blog, and now it’s time to turn our attention to midfield. Here, we highlight the biggest winners from this rule change as well as other midfielders in the £4.5m–£6.0m bracket who offer strong attacking potential.
For managers looking to keep costs down on their eighth attacker (the fifth midfielder), there are plenty of intriguing budget options in the £4.5m–£5.0m bracket.
Picking the right one could unlock valuable funds to strengthen the rest of your Starting XI.
As the above image from our Stats Sandbox feature shows, Baleba (£5.0m) was top amongst midfielders in this price bracket for Recoveries (192) last season and also fares well for the other CBIRT metrics. He is also top for 'Expected FPL points' (xFPL) (101.15) with three goals to his name last season.
Christie (£5.0m) is an interesting option, the Cherries' midfielder is fourth for xFPL (88.12) and managed two goals and three assists in 2024/25, he trails only Baleba (192) and Cook (189), also £5.0m, for recoveries.
P.M. Sarr (£5.0m,) is top for shots on target (13) and 'big chances' (seven). The Senegalese international is ninth in this price bracket for Recoveries (115) and as the below image from our Fixture Difficulty Ratings shows, Spurs have a kind schedule should he need to be called upon in the opening eight Gameweeks.
Unfortunately, no £4.5m midfielders registered more than 27 ball recoveries last season, and Devenny was the only one to make over 20 appearances. At present, this price bracket remains a dead spot in our squads.
By spending just £0.5m more, FPL managers can target more reliable options – players who not only carry attacking potential but could also be trusted to start every week and steadily collect defensive contribution points.
As shown in the image above, from our Stats Sandbox feature, Caicedo (226) and Anderson (206) lead the way for ball recoveries, making them stand out picks in this price bracket. Crucially, both were regular starters for their teams throughout the season.
Both players offer some attacking upside as well. Anderson registered six assists and created 37 chances, ranking sixth among midfielders. While Caicedo contributed four assists and 30 chances created. In terms of goal threat, Anderson scored twice from 20 shots in the box, though notably, he failed to register a single 'big chance' all season.
Looking beyond CBIRT, Tavernier stood out with 57 shots and a leading Expected Goals (xG) tally of 6.39. Only Adama surpassed his total of seven big chances, with nine. However, a key concern is that neither Tavernier nor Adama played more than 2,000 minutes last season. Still, both were joint-third for attempted assists (43), with only Cook (47) and Andreas (57) recording more.
Adingra is another one to watch. The Ivory Coast international recorded two goals and three assists for Brighton in just 1,081 minutes and is expected to be a regular starter for his new club, Sunderland. As highlighted in the image above from our Fixture Difficulty Ratings, Sunderland have an excellent run of opening fixtures.
At £6.0m, FPL managers are no longer searching for a bench filler. Instead, they’re targeting midfielders who can either be rotated based on fixtures or trusted to start every single week.
With the added spend, attacking potential becomes essential alongside CBIRT value. As shown in the image above from our Stats Sandbox feature, sorted by xFPL, O. Dango (140.08) stands out with a leading xG of 10.69 - though this is likely inflated by his spell starting as Bournemouth's centre-forward in Evanilson’s absence.
Souček leads the way for shots in the box (52) and ranks third for big chances (10), behind Minteh (11) and O. Dango. Meanwhile, Damsgaard tops the chart for recoveries (180) in this price bracket. The Danish international also leads for attempted assists (63) and big chances created (14), arguably making him the standout pick.
As the below image from our Points Prediction feature shows, McNeil (21.7) is on top for Projected Points over the first six Gameweeks, he played only 1371 minutes last season due to injury and is potentially under-priced.
Anderson (20.2) also fares well with the CBIRT potential adding a steady stream of points. Caicedo (18.7) is ranked 10th while Damsgaard (13.7) does not make the Top 20.
The introduction of ball recoveries to the CBIRT scoring system has opened up a wealth of new opportunities in the £4.5m–£6.0m midfielder bracket.
Players once overlooked as “bench fodder” now carry genuine points potential, whether through steady defensive contributions or added attacking upside.
It’s worth noting that Paul Marshman, the most successful FPL manager of all time with an incredible six top 1k finishes, currently has Dwight McNeil in his draft – a player who tops our projected points (21.7) for the opening six Gameweeks.
You can see Marshman’s full squad and the other Elite XI managers’ drafts on the Elite XI: Team Reveal page, which updates live throughout pre-season.
Choosing the right budget midfielder could free up funds for premium assets and give you a vital edge in the early weeks. Will you go safe with a steady starter or gamble on a potential breakout star?
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